The British were charged in connection with organizing a “mock wedding” for a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl from Disneyland Paris.
French prosecutors said the 39-year-old man was a desired convicted sex offender in the UK. His name has not been made public.
He was arrested Saturday morning when police were called to an amusement park by a “guest” at dawn.
The man said he was paid 12,000 euros to play the role and he realized at the very last minute that the “bride” was a child, according to a statement from Meaux prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladier.
The statement also said the Ukrainian girl, who arrived in France two days ago, was “forced to play the role” of the bride, not a victim of physical or sexual violence.
A woman who said she was hired to play the role of a guest told BFMTV when she arrived at Disneyland Paris, “I saw a girl wearing white clothes with all her hair finished and she listened to her arms… I was shocked.”
“When I saw it [a] Child – That was horrifying. ”
Approximately 100 French extras were employed to participate in fake ceremonies that were to be filmed in private abilities.
The British man reportedly hired Disneyland Paris for several hours for stunts.
The preliminary findings also stated that, according to prosecutors, he was professionally constructed so that his face looked completely different from his own.”
Three other people have also been arrested, including a 24-year-old Latvian woman who plays the mother of a 41-year-old girl, a sister to the bride, and a 55-year-old Latvian man.
By Tuesday, only the British were still in police custody.
The British man and Latvian woman appeared before a judge in Mee on June 23rd, and the man was charged with fraud, trust violations, money laundering and identity theft and was placed in pretrial custody.
The Latvians remain witnesses to the investigation.
A statement from the prosecutor also said Disneyland Paris was “deceived” and that organizers used fake Latvian IDs to hire fakes. Disneyland Paris is available for rental by the public outside of business hours.
BFMTV reported that “mock weddings” could have cost organizers of more than 130,000 euros (£110,000).
Bladier’s statement said the British “reportedly convicted in the past.”
“He is listed in the UK database of sexual offenders and is currently being sought nationwide by the judicial authorities of his country of origin for violations of requirements derived from the order.”
At this stage, it is unclear what the “stunt” point was.
The investigation continues.
